By Sarah Ritcey
Sex! The college craze. Whether you’re into relationships, friends with benefits, hookups, or sneaky links (someone you’re secretly having sex with for some time), you probably are having sex. Hooking up in college is the new normal; some people love it, and others hate it. It differs from person to person, especially college students.
Your chances of meeting someone in community college can be less than at a university. Luckily, for Michael Mulders, 19, this wasn’t a problem.
“I’ve been in one relationship, and I am currently still in it,” Mulders continued. “We’ve been dating for a year, and we met at Delta.”
“I have had a hookup, which I regret, but I think hookup culture depends on the person. There are genuine people out there who want a relationship and to start settling down, and there’s other people who want to party and have fun,” Mulders says. “It just depends on your view of having fun.”
Amariah Rodiguez, 20, is a student at Delta College. She has never had a sneaky link or hookup, but she still thinks hookup culture is bad.
“It’s taken the sweetness out of dating and relationships. There are less good intentions and overall seems less pure than dating back in the day,” Rodriguez continued. “I think most people are just looking for a good time. I think most college students think this is the time of their life, and it’s too early to be locked down.”
Being “locked down” in college is not everyone’s forte, but Zach Moore, 20, is a Delta student and was in a relationship for five years.
“People need to learn to settle down because you’re not gonna have hookups your entire life,” Moore said. “It’s fun in your 20s, but not when you are in your 40s; it’s different.”
“Most people don’t want a relationship in college because they want to party. They like hook-up culture. But I think it’s girls who don’t want to settle down with a guy,” Moore continued. “I think it’s hard to make relationships in college work, all of the parties, and it’s easy to fall into hooking up with somebody, and you’re most likely just learning how to drink. It’s part of the influence. You’re not making good decisions.”
Addisyn Richard, 19, a Delta College student, has been in three relationships but believes hookup culture is good.
“I think it allows people to explore and meet others. It can also help people learn different things about themselves,” Richard described.
You might expect different answers to relationships at a more prominent university, but there aren’t that many opposing opinions.
Having experience in hookup culture and long-term relationships like Connor Bash, a 20-year-old Michigan State, his opinions almost mirror Michael Mulders, the 19-year-old at Delta College.
“I’ve had one relationship, and it was almost a year, and I have also had a hookup before,” Bash continued. “I don’t think it’s good or bad to participate in hookup culture; I think it all just comes down to the person.”
Sean Smith, an 18-year-old at Michigan State University, is in a long-distance
relationship with his girlfriend of six months from his hometown of Rochester, New York.
“I don’t think it’s hard to make relationships in college work if you do it right,” Smith explained.
Viky Sabat, 19, a Michigan State student, has never been in a relationship but has done hookups and sneaky links.
“I think hookup culture is bad and good, but mostly bad because it can seem worthless at times if no relationship is pursued.”
Women in college versus men don’t seem to have that many separate opinions, but when you’ve never had a sneaky link, hookup, or relationship, what are your views on all of it?
Alexis Pace is a 19-year-old Michigan State second year, and she has never had a sneaky link, hook up, or serious relationship.
“Hookup culture can be good for certain people who purely just want the sexual aspect. But I think that it can also be toxic and can mess up people’s feelings making it harder for them to form an actual relationship,” Pace said.
“The hardest thing about dating in college is finding genuine people who don’t just want a hookup and want to hang out outside of the party environment,” Pace continued.
According to the National Library of Medicine, 72% of college students report hooking up by their senior year. These results showed that most participants hook up to feel sexual pleasure, with a significantly smaller motivation to form a relationship and get the “college experience.”
Overall, whether you have had any sort of relationship or are currently in one, it’s
normal. Sex is normal, confusing relationships are normal, and so are stable, healthy ones. Just don’t be silly and wrap your willy.
